Ever notice how awful hamantashen are, no matter whether they are commercial or homemade? Well, not these babies. These traditional Jewish cookies are thin-crusted, crisp, and delicious. They’re also a lot of work, but worth it!!
Hamantashen
Make the dough and filling and chill at least one day before you make these traditional cookies.
Ingredients for Dough:
- 2/3 cup shortening or coconut oil
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- Small pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for Filling:
- ½ pound dried apricots
- 1 cup sugar
Method for Dough:
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in food processor bowl. Pulse a few times to combine
- Add shortening, cut into dry ingredients, pulsing 8-12 times until mixture resembles cornmeal
- Add juice, vanilla, and egg to mixture, pulsing just until mixture comes together
- Make a disk of dough, wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight
Method for Filling:
- Simmer apricots in water to barely cover, until apricots are tender, about 5 minutes
- Drain apricots, whir in food processor with sugar while still hot
- Refrigerate
Method for Hamantashen:
- Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on floured board or pastry cloth
- Cut in rounds
- Put filling in center of rounds
- Pick up edges toward center to form triangles & pinch dough together with floured fingers
- Place on baking paper-lined cookie sheets
- Bake at 375° about ten minutes or until browned
Yield: About 40 cookies
Note: Can freeze unbaked hamantashen on cookie sheets in single layers, then pack into freezer boxes well ahead of time, to be baked later, straight from the freezer.